‘Taken 2’ squeaks past ‘Argo’ for second straight box office win

Liam Neeson held the top position at the box office for the second weekend in a row, thanks to the success of Taken 2. Despite tepid reviews from critics, it has gone on to be an international success and is close to surpassing the original 2009 film. Meanwhile, Ben Affleck’s Oscar contender, Argo, came in a close second.

Taken 2 added $22.5 million to its domestic total, which is now up to $86.8 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It has also made $132.8 million internationally. After just 10 days, its worldwide total is $219.6 million. During its entire theatrical run, the original film made $226.8 million worldwide.

Argo made $20.1 million, which was just behind Affleck’s last film, 2010’s The Town. That film debuted to $23.8 million in 2010. As for Argo, it has earned stellar reviews from critics and the audience, which gave it an A+ CinemaScore grade, reports Entertainment Weekly. That gives Argo a good chance of sticking around in theaters for a long time.

The horror film Sinister got off to a great start on Friday, but finished third overall on the weekend with $18.3 million. It didn’t do as well as other recent horror films and only earned a C+ CinemaScore grade. Plus, Paranormal Activity 4 comes out Friday, so Sinister’s chances of a long, successful run are thin.

According to Box Office Mojo, Hotel Transylvania had another great weekend, adding $17.3 million. It’s already up to $102.2 million domestically and has a chance to pass The Smurfs as Sony Animation’s highest grossing film ever.

While there was plenty of good news, there were some disappointments. Kevin James’ Here Comes the Boom made just $12 million, while Seven Psychopaths only made $4.3 million. Atlas Shrugged : Part II grossed just $1.7 million.